The View From My View

Monday, March 6, 2017

Over
the past several years, when important social rights issues have been
discussed, debated and voted on, I often hear people say “It’s 201_ and I can’t
believe we are still dealing with X.”I
used to say that myself – example “why in 2016 are people still making a big
deal about gay people being in love or getting married.”I completely get where these people (and
formerly myself) are coming from.In
this day in age – 2017 A.D. – one would think that the thoughts and beliefs of
humanity in general would have moved beyond caring how other people live their
lives or what color their skin is or what their religious beliefs are etc.

But
the other day, I think while reading some dialogue about LGBTQ rights, someone
said something like “why is this still an issue in 2017?”.And it struck me quickly like a lightning
bolt (a tired metaphor, I know), “what does being 2017 have to do with
anything?”.The advancement of thousands
of years going by, adding to our annual trip around the sun, does not
necessarily assure enlightened progression of people’s understanding of the
human condition.People will be
small-minded, racist, prejudiced, hateful, rude, spiteful, vengeful, merciless
and unforgiving for as long as there are people to walk this earth.I cannot say I have done much research, or even
light reading on this, but I would bet that people have been this way since the
progress of evolution brought about the human race.

Painting
with a broad brush stroke here, but I feel that as long as humans have the
ability to think and feel, have free-will and choice, and the ability to decide
upon which thoughts they will act, the whole of humanity will never end racism,
bigotry, chauvinism, xenophobia, sexism, dogmatism or the desire to control
others.It is a very nice thought to
believe that as the years continue to go by that all people (current living and
future born) will fill their hearts with decency, unconditional tolerance of
others, helpfulness, total acceptance, peace and have no judgement.But as long as there is at least one person
around spreading hateful ideas, there will be at least one person to
openly/actively listen and accept those terrible, wounding views in their cold
hard hearts.

It
has been said time and again by studious persons that “people are afraid of the
unknown – things they don’t understand.”That is one of the truest statements ever realized and taught.Many people are afraid and embarrassed to be
seen as uneducated and/or vulnerable, leaving them to be stalwart holders of
ignorance and hate.They can also be
fearful of having family and friends think ill of them, which continues the
cycle of closed-mindedness and unacceptance.

One
part of the human condition directly and indirectly taught is that we want
people we love and care about to think positively of us; and we dare not go
against the grain we know.So we
sometimes hastily take up their beliefs and opinions as our own and usually
don’t give them much thought or scrutiny.We don’t want to be left out in the cold or become one of those that our
loved ones loathe.Humans (some, not all,
naturally) don’t want to be seen as weak that can be easily convinced to join
the “other side”.The “other side” being
people who do offer acceptance, love, and tolerance of those different from
themselves.We’d rather keep the peace
around the dinner table and back yard barbeque than to try and help those
persecuted find peace.

So
many foibles easily and quietly slither their way into peoples’ views, and
eventually show up in their actions.2017,
2018, 2020, 2025, 2035 etc – no matter what year comes along, harshness,
intolerance, refusal to empathize & show compassion, and being unkind will
always be a part of the human experience.Just like people have the option to choose which feeling/attitude they
will act upon, they also may pick and choose which parts of some
constitutionally guaranteed freedoms they want applied.They want these freedoms to apply when it
positively benefits them and will utilize these liberties to stoke the fires of
hatred and bias.

People
appreciate freedom of religion as long as others practice the same
religion.Heaven help them if they don’t
believe/practice in the same way!Some
of the populace use freedom of speech too liberally in some instances – as in
speaking before fully understanding about what they are speaking when it comes
to major social/economic/government issues and rights or spreading alternative
facts. (!) And with freedom of the
press, some will quickly believe just about anything presented as news if it
lines up with their views without doing any research to learn if what is being
reported has any amount of truth to it or if some of the truth was twisted to
entice and enflame its readers. **These
are just my thoughts.Possibly not
well-reasoned ones!**Don’t get me wrong
here!I really do appreciate these
freedoms and the others that we so fortunately have here in the USA.

So I
realize I have been rambling on here and may have gotten somewhat off
topic.I guess overall what I am trying
to say is that humans will be humans with all of the emotions, feelings and
beliefs that are available for them to have - no matter if its back in the
Middle Ages, Age of Discovery, Napoleonic Era or Post-Cold War/Postmodernity
Era or any of the Eras and Ages that have come to pass since the beginning of
humanity.

Anyway
these are my (probably irrational) opinions and feelings on the often said “I
can’t believe it is (current year) and we still have to deal with
(social/economic issue).”

Two
clarifications here to keep in mind:

1)I am not a historian,
philosopher, psychologist or psychiatrist or any other scholar.So I am just kind of making this up as I go
along based on what I have heard, read and observed over the years; and

2)I do not have any answers on
how to make all of human race loving, kind and peace-filled.The best I can do is be kind to others and
help where I can.And if I am brave,
call out other people who are being mean to those who are different – whether
different in skin color, sexuality, religion or any other factor.

A few months ago I saw a post on Facebook from a
lady, who was sitting in an office, and saw most people on their phones rather
than read the magazines offered.This
struck her as people maybe being slightly selfish, and wanting to be more
absorbed in their own worlds than in the immediate world around them.And when I read that, I thought momentarily
that she is right.But then I quickly
changed my mind.Why you may ask?Well, the answer is simple.I want to know what is going on in the world
of other people.

Someone commented on that post about people
missing out on the beauty of the world around them – like watching squirrels
scamper across yards gathering nuts, listening to birds sing or just in general
seeing all the people who may cross their paths. I can totally understand this
point of view.While at the office, I
sometimes look out my windows to see squirrels going here and there across the
parking lot looking for nuts to store up for winter and watching birds fly to
and fro.I miss out on some much of
nature being cooped up in an office.*But I am extremely happy and grateful to be in an office on really hot
& cold days and days of bad weather.*

But back to my last statement in the first
paragraph.I am an extremely curious
person.I love knowing what’s going on
around me and around the world.I enjoy
listening to the news on NPR; I am not a huge fan of local news, and have not been
for a long time.I enjoy reading
people’s blogs - specifically of people who travel around the world, either for
a living or just about their vacations to foreign lands. I genuinely love
seeing pictures from around the world – gorgeous beaches, majestic mountain ranges,
luscious rainforests, food & craft markets in large cities, wild animals,
beautiful valleys, mesmerizing rivers lakes & oceans, and so much
more.

By watching videos online & tv shows,
looking at pictures and reading blogs, I get to see parts of the world that I
may never get to see.And if I am
fortunate enough to travel to more of our own country or other places around
the globe, there is no guarantee that what I view now online or on tv will
still be the same whenever I may get to visit.For example, I watch some travel and food shows and they highlight some
really cool food & craft markets around the world; but if I get to go there
someday, then the markets may change to something unrecognizable or may even be
non-existent.The oceans, lakes and
rivers could become more trashed or lakes and rivers could dry up in the
future.

So, yes I will freely admit that I am one of
those people seen playing on their phones when in public – for instance: in the
waiting room at a doctor’s office or waiting for a table at a restaurant.And yes, sometimes I am playing around just
wasting time – checking up on Facebook, reading celebrity news and other
non-useful, brain-deadening stuff.But I
try not to make all my time on my phone to be mind-dulling.I try to learn new things, catch up on serious
news or read about peoples lives – like how women are defying the religious and
male-dominated societal customs in middle-Eastern countries, people who’ve
invented cool things, had incredibly interesting lives or had great adventures.With the immediate availability of
information from around the world and its people, I love learning about things
going on globally.

However, I am not absorbed in my phone all the
time when in public.If there are
magazines offered in a waiting room, I will sometimes pick one up to browse.I sometimes like losing myself in something –
a book, crafts, etc – that cannot connected to the internet.And in the occasional places where I cannot
use my phone or read a magazine, I am pretty good at keeping myself amused – my
thoughts alone are enough to keep me stimulated and captivated.Ha! J

So in my posts, I usually try make a point –
whether it is a reasonable sounding point or may sound plain crazy in the eyes
of others.But with this one, I am not
sure if a point can actually be made.After reading the Facebook post mentioned at the beginning, I felt I had
to defend myself even though the woman was not talking to me directly.I wanted to say that is ok to sometimes be
absorbed on our phones or tablets or other such device.And that is ok to not read magazines.It is ok to be sucked into the social media
world or gaming or mindless reading sometimes.This is one beneficial tactic that our busy, over-worked, over-tired
brains need sometime – time to completely chill out and zone out.This time can be kind of refreshing and
restful.So however, you spend your
downtime, I hope it is pleasant and maybe a little constructive.

About Me

I am happily married and work full-time in the personal lines insurance industry. Hubby and I eloped to Las Vegas in May 2009 and then became dog parents in January 2010. Dog takes up quite a bit of time but he is goofy and so much fun.

My early years were made of riding horses and competing in various events in rodeos. That was a great way to grow up. Hubby and I moved to Atlanta in 2007. I really enjoyed living in the city and all of the exciting things you can do here; then we moved in 2014 to NC and now live in the out in country. Quite a different pace of life to say the least!